by Scott Rayborn

Entering his 5th season as head coach for the Woodbridge High School Girls’ Volleyball team, Coach Calhoun and the Lady Barrons were on a mission to accomplish what no other team in the history of the program has been able to: win a division crown. However, this team was a different breed.

The girls came into the season with a strong work ethic. “They worked extremely hard over the summer,” Coach Calhoun said, “between practice in the wee hours of the morning, and summer league games twice a week.” If the hard work wouldn’t pay off, the girls made sure their delivery would.

To compete at a higher level, Calhoun said the team “focused much more on hitting the ball over the net. As easy as it sounds, when you hit [or] serve the ball over the net, you give yourself a chance to win a point.” With strong fundamentals in place, the girls turned to their coach for leadership.

Coach Calhoun’s philosophy isn’t a secret. He works to bring out the best in each player and develop their work ethic, discipline, and confidence, which he believes helps in the game of volleyball and in life. The results were evident.

The Lady Barrons looked like a more disciplined, confident team and that’s what helped them ultimately win a division championship, going 23-6 on the season. If discipline and confidence wins games, then selflessness doesn’t hurt, either.

“Everyone believed in our plan. The team was about one goal–winning a division championship. No one was worried about their stats,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun felt that this team was different and had the “it” factor to compete for the first division crown in school history, and it ultimately came true after the Lady Barrons defeated Mother Seton to be crowned division champions.

As for next season, “My expectations are higher than this year. We return a lot of very good players. We expect to compete for another division championship, compete for a county championship, and win a state tournament game for the first time in school history.”

Congratulations to Coach Calhoun and the members of the 2014 Lady Barrons Varsity Volleyball team on an incredible and historic season.

The team is:

Player                             Grade                          Number
Nicole Altman                  12                                  97
Brianna Baldassano       12                                  24
Caitlyn Marcal                 12                                    6
Kristen Moast                  12                                    1
Francesca Muccilli           12                                    5
Comfort Akinbo               11                                  19
Carly Kjersgaard              11                                  22
Carly Deliman                  11                                  26
Caitlyn Padden                 11                                 23
Tyler Karpinecz                 11                                 15
Sachi Rajadnya                 10                                  29
Alyssa Abatemarco          10                                  25
Samantha Elbayer            10                                  11
Azra Kukuljac                     10                                   9
Christine Wnek                  10                                  27